Kevin Fischer is a veteran broadcaster, the recipient of over 150 major journalism awards from the Milwaukee Press Club, the Wisconsin Associated Press, the Northwest Broadcast News Association, the Wisconsin Bar Association, and others. He has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for over three decades. A longtime aide to state Senate Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature, Kevin can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, "InterCHANGE," on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10, and heard filling in on Newstalk 1130 WISN. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their lovely young daughter, Kyla Audrey, in Franklin.

By now, most Americans are at least somewhat familiar with the scourge of PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - which has left invisible scars on tens of thousands of our military heroes. PTSD is often aggravated by traumatic brain injuries that, together, have led to alarmingly high rates of depression, substance abuse, domestic violence, divorce and suicide.

I recently appeared in two leading national print media on this fast-growing national issue. In case you missed the articles, I provided the links to each.

As I stated in a recent op-ed piece published in the Washington Times,
". . . veterans in every war have experienced this same kind of trauma, but never before have we as a nation relied upon such a small professional army for its defense, and we are now engaged in one of the longest running wars of our history. What this means on the ground is that we send the same small coterie of people back to the battle zones time and time again. Some of these people have served 10 or more tours. Even for those who do not suffer physical wounds, the stress is incredible. Human beings are simply not designed for this sort of thing."

I elaborated further on this problem recently in the New York Times, where I warned that "We need a more effective program for helping these heroes and a new vision of national defense that does not demand the impossible from our defenders."

Just as the global War on Terror could not be fought and won in a short amount of time, the treatment of our men and women suffering with PTSD will be neither simple nor quick.

I'd be happy to hear your own thoughts and feedback. Your support is valued and I encourage you to follow our work on behalf of our severely disabled combat veterans, which includes those impacted by PTSD. They need and deserve our support.

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